#STONE MOUNTAIN DUCK BOATS DRIVER#

The storm originated in Nebraska and Kansas, with wind gusts reported exceeding 50 miles-per-hour. The NWS had been tracking the storm system for nearly 10 hours as it moved across the US. There is no doubt the warnings of impending inclement weather were made readily available to all tour boat operators in the area. Passengers from the second boat tried to help rescue tourists that had leapt off of Duck 2 as it submerged underwater. Friday morning, the boat was located by rescue divers, after having rolled on its wheels, resting on the lakebed, 80 feet underwater.Ī second duck boat, operated by the same company, was also caught in the storm and barely survived, safely making it ashore.

The enclosed amphibious boat, once flipped over, began a rapid descent, plunging to the bottom of the lake. It is unclear as of this writing if life preservers were made available to all the passengers on the capsized vessel. By this time the boat was in process of capsizing, with 31 people trapped and desperately trying to escape. The warning once again included Taney county. the warning was reissued with winds reported exceeding 70 mph. the watch was upgraded to a severe thunderstorm warning with Table Rock Lake specifically mentioned in the warning, with 60 miles-per-hour winds reported and hail measuring ¾ inch possible.Īt 7:02 p.m. The lake where the boat capsized, Table Rock Lake in Taney County, had been under a National Weather Service (NWS)-issued severe thunderstorm watch since 11:20 a.m.-that is, for over seven hours-a strong indicator that conditions were favorable for severe thunderstorm development.Īt 6:32 p.m. Jim Pattison Jr., president of the parent company of Ride the Ducks, Ripley Entertainment, stated to CNN, “The storm came out of nowhere.” Pattison further stated that it was his understanding that, “the water was calm when the boat went out.” In a CBS This Morning interview Friday, Pattison said that “no one was expecting” the storm but the boat “shouldn’t have been in the water if what happened happened.” The duck boat involved in Thursday’s accident was operated by “Ride the Ducks,” a company founded in Branson in 1977, which also currently operates duck tours in Stone Mountain, Georgia and Guam. The city is known for numerous entertainment theaters, wax museums, cave explorations and duck boat tours.ĭuck boats are dual-purpose amphibious tour guide vessels, inspired by the DUKW, a modified 6-wheeled amphibious troop and supply carrier, used by the US military in WWII and the Korean War. show the boat, “Duck 2,” taking on water as waves crashed aboard and winds whipped up debris during a furious thunderstorm.īranson, with a population of over 10,000 is part of the Ozarks, located in the southwestern corner of Missouri and is dependent on summer tourism.

#STONE MOUNTAIN DUCK BOATS DRIVER#

Seventeen people, aged 1 to 70 years old, including the driver of the boat, were killed after the boat sank beneath heavy waves.Īuthorities finished accounting for the 31 people involved in the criminal disaster Friday morning as divers recovered the final four bodies.Įyewitness video recordings taken on July 19 shortly after 7:00 p.m. Rescue divers have finished recovering all the victims in the latest tragic, yet preventable accident, involving an amphibious duck boat in Table Rock Lake, located near Branson, Missouri.

Stone mountain duck boats